I'll give you a hint...it involved paint.  We are now on the local hardware store's watch list based on the frequency and abundancy of Rustoleum we purchase.  Also, please ignore the black mixed with yellow speckles that coat my right arm.  I have never heard of spray painting in anything other than a tank top, as moronic as that might be. Also (again), I got to use those cute little Valspar sample colors that you can pick up at Lowe's, which made me inordinately happy.

My mission in upcycling is to leave at least some portion of the item in it's vintage state.  And you will probably notice I have a thing for stripes and stenciling numbers.  I have two more weekends before The Summer Market to build up this inventory (but will happily sell it to before then, of course.)

RenMan has rehabbed another bike, given some patio furniture a face lift, and...wait for it...FINISHED MY CABINET.  Yes, the cabinet that was purchased in the auction that launched Renaissance Man (blogged about here way back in 2012 on my personal site), is fully functional in my living room.  If I had my way, it would be full of all things Alice, but since he worked so hard on it, I'm willing to compromise.

This two piece cabinet was originally covered in pealing mint green paint that had to be stripped and sanded down to bare wood.  The base of both the bottom and top units was painted with Behr "Willow Grove" Eggshell Enamel.  The drawers, cutting boards and glass doors were stained MinWax "Dark Walnut".  

So now that it is done, I will be redecorating the rest of the living room around it.  I just need a few "new" things...couch, chairs, rug, coffee table...

RenMan and I each had our own upcycle projects this weekend.  One of them might have been a little more involved than the other, but let's not judge.

RenMan's project was a dining table we picked up way back in the original auction. This is a piece we were doing for one of our covered porches.  Prep for the project was just a quick sanding to make sure it would take the paint well.  Our signature color was lightly brushed with random strokes across all areas.  Second coat was a layer or watered down white brushed over entire surface.  Third layer was another watered down layer that had been ever so slightly tinted gray.  Topped with a clear protective coat.

My project was a small metal stool.  Okay, not quite as elaborate.  This is the first of my pile of metal/industrial upcycles to build as inventory for the Summer Market.  Prep was a steel brush and steel wool to remove all flakes (but not sanded down smooth).  I liked the color that remained on the top of the stool, so I taped off most of that prior to applying a satin white spray paint.  Two coats.  Tape was removed and a matte clear coat was applied (two coats again) to  make sure no additional paint would chip off.

I liked the results enough to enter it in local thrift guru Something To Be Found's May Thrift Challenge in the nick of time.  Now we just have to see if this piece will still be around come Summer Market time. or if it will get snatched up before then.

NOTE:  If you didn't notice our homepage change, we are willing to come do attic, house, garage, barn clean outs.  Whether you are just looking for a little more space or getting ready for an estate sale we are interested in your vintage "junk." 

A while back our oldest daughter asked if she could have her own room and could that room have a loft bed.  This spurred all kinds of ideas to turn the shared playroom into a bedroom.

The ideas were a mix of what she loves (oceans, beluga whales, and bright colors) with what we love (vintage, rehab, and uniqueness).  Throw in the fact that we live in a century home with limited storage space and that’s what we had to work with.

It all started with the fact that I wanted to paint her room blue and have large white beluga whale silhouettes painted on the walls to make her feel like she was in the ocean. 

When our daughter said “loft” she was thinking more about having a desk under her bed, but when we started envisioning how we would raise the platform, I immediately thought of a berth on a boat and that is what the focal point of the room became.

It started with finding the perfect dressers that could serve as the bed base.  One we had found at a yard sale the previous summer for $20.  The other we saw at an estate sale and thought it matched up pretty well size-wise.  Paid $15.  After a small amount of leveling (cutting down the legs ever so slightly on the green one), we fit the puzzle pieces together.

Next we built the platform to hold the mattress and anchor everything to the corner of the room. We purchased new, but you save money and resources by scrounging wood at garage and estate sales.  You could also go to shops that specialize in reclaimed wood.  It would definitely be green, but won’t save you much money.

Trimming out the “berth” included bead board, cornices and moldings.  Also purchased new.

To fill in the remaining base of the bed that is not supported by the dressers, we built two rectangular bins.  Since the dressers were on legs and we had a pile of spindles we got at an auction for a couple of bucks, we cut those down and lifted the bins off the floor.  One bin will serve as a laundry hamper holder.  The other will just be a book shelf and a place she can have and alarm clock and set her glasses after she climbs in. Includes bead board and trim scraps from what we had already purchased. 

The boat ladder was an auction throw-in with some lot we won.  We cut off the length we didn’t need from the bottom.

Once everything was in place, we caulked seams and filled holes before painting everything white.  Several times. Boat cleats  from a discount marine store online were added as the drawer pulls.  

And voila! The bedding is new PBTeen bedding that was purchased off eBay for about a 40% discount.

So here is the rest of the room…keeping in mind that it still needs some additional touches like throw rugs, curtains, and a desk chair.  On top of the fact that we have not moved ALL her stuffed animals into here and she basically owns an entire zoo.  And lastly, I had some mermaids printed on fabric to use on either pillows or just to frame.  Not too sure about how I will use them yet.  

Craftsman/Art Deco desk previously blogged about.  Containers all from Pat Catans.  Whale bookends from Urban Outfitters because I could not resist.

Leaning shelves have up to this point been in our living room, but we needed to move them to make room for something else and thought it would be the perfect match. Glass containers with her sea glass and "fossil" collections from Pat Catans (I thought the fishbowl ones were a good fit with the ship theme). Oars were $5 a piece at auction.  I painted them myself to match her bedding, but still look a little distressed.

Bulletin boards were Santa presents because he knew she was getting her own room.  You know...four months later.

The beluga whales are decals made by a local print shop called Speedpro Imaging here in Westlake, OH.  These people are AWESOME to work with.  They have helped us on some other upcycle projects and have great customer service and quick turn around.

The hope chest has been in my family since the 1940's.  It was one of RenMan's first restoration projects back when our oldest daughter was born.  The Poohs come with the kid.  Obsessed much?

And here is that other oar. In very poor lighting.

Not sure if we'll be tackling another project like this anytime soon, but we did finish in the nick of time for a certain someone's 9 year old slumber party.

So just to catch you up....

We've participated in three auctions, completed one major project and one minor one, rearranged/decorated a bedroom, photographed a wedding (wife), and started a new Day Job (RenMan).  

Oh, and we finally sold our most viewed item on etsy.  Since we listed it back in the summer, our little-trunk-that-could had 1080 views and was favorited 116 times.  Last week someone asked if we would be willing to hold it for ONE WEEK while she waited for her paycheck.  Well, we didn't have much to lose, even though we were pretty sure we wouldn't here from her again.  But this Sunday, as promised, as we heard the familiar cash register sound of an etsy purchase.  It is now on its way to Balitmore, MD!

As far as big projects....RenMan finished our daughter's desk.

This was stripped/sanded down to bare wood, re-stained and polyurethaned.  Our daughter is very excited to be getting her own room in the near future and this is just one of the projects we have in store for it.   And it's the only one she is actually aware of.  I'm hoping she likes what we have in store for her as much as I think she will.  

On top of the bedroom projects for ourselves, we are also upcycling an old window into a mirror for a friend of ours.  It's about half way there and looking good.

The first Cleveland Flea of the year will be in April and so far we are planning on being there.  Looking out for some other shows where we can showcase the furniture we have (fleas don't work as well for that), so let us know if you hear of anything good in the area.  We have some great tables, filing cabinets, chairs and, of course, trunks!

When we first began RenMan - not that long ago really - we were pretty focused on furniture restoration with some collectibles on the side.  Most items we purchased, were definitely along the lines of items we would happily display in our home.

Well, furniture restoration (as a sideline) takes quite a bit of time.  So it's not like RenMan can churn out a new piece every week.  The art deco desk is almost ready for new stain.  And he's also working on what we are assuming was a fireplace mantle/frame.  It's kind of bizarre, which is probably what draws us to it.

And then there are the auction and estate sales.  We've kind of become addicted, which is not surprising.  What is surprising is how much we are coming to appreciate items outside our taste palette.  It has become easier to see what makes things attractive to others, even if we don't necessarily like it ourselves.  Which has become bonus for us in the retail world, I guess.  But I think it would have happened naturally anyway.  

So for every steamer trunk and railroad lantern, there is glassware and doorstops.  Since the flea, we have acquired, and are working hard to make available, the following:

Lantern (duh)
Lantern frame (come to think of it, where IS that lantern?  they were supposed to send it by now)
Pocket watch
3 watches
Set of 8 Muppet Movie glasses from The Great Muppet Caper (oh, yeah, you heard me)
Maxwell House Coffee thermos and mugs
Airplane propeller (currently gracing our stairway)
Coca Cola sign
7 glass milk bottles
Box full of granite/enamelware
Enamel top table
Window with flour sack curtains (that probably needs a visual)
3 industrial light shades
Croquet set
2 footlockers
Kitchen scale
Bar mixing glass/shaker
Cane seat chair
Box of travel brochures and maps
11 Famous American Lithographs
6 tobacco containers
A few burlap sacks (one Purina Chow that is SO cool)
Steamer trunk (naturally)
2 carpenter boxes
Burled walnut humidor
2 mirrors
Picture frame
Galvanized milk crate
2 lunchboxes
Magikooler Leisure Chest (AKA Cooler - but the other way sounds awesome)
Baseball bat
Barrister Cabinet

Hop on over to the gallery to see some of our amazing treasures.   

Apparently, that question is the kiss of death in the dealer business.  It means they are not buying.  It comes in some variations.

Husband:  Oh, I really like this.
Wife: But where would you put it?
Translation:  No way in hell are you bringing another piece of junk home.

Wife: Oh, I really like this.
Husband: But where would you put it?
Translation: Stop spending money.

So no, we didn't sell out at the Westlake show.  By a long shot.  But that's okay.  We really want to focus on opening our Etsy store anyway.  It's a lot less back breaking than loading, unloading (and then loading and unloading again) a huge moving van.  And we don't have to burn our skin to a crisp standing around in the blistering sun. (Okay, that might have been partly my fault.)

Here's the thing...if you have to ask, "but where would I put it?", you must not want it that bad.  Because if you really wanted it, that question wouldn't even enter your mind until you got home with it.  

Case in point.  The desk.

I have loved this desk ever since we pulled it out from under the black plague infested attic of an antique store and wiped the possible results of surviving a fire off its beautiful wood-grained top.  However, I was able to find a handful of reasons that we should take it to the show to sell. 

Of course we have no room for it.  And it doesn't really fit with any of the other pieces in our house (thus far).  Most people would probably stop there.  But when we ended up bringing it back home, I felt like maybe it was fate.  It's not like I was going to put this beautiful piece of art back in the basement.  (Especially, since it was such a pain in the ass to get it out of there.)

And sure enough, I had an epiphany.  The suede desktop actually compliments the two chairs we salvaged from the same attic.  The two chairs that sit on either side of a large wooden chest.

And that is when we realize it all comes down to the wooden chest.   Every time we bring something new into the house, we end up moving this damn chest.  And it's heavy!  

It was also the first piece Scott ever refinished around ten years ago.  It seemed a little wrong to get rid of it.  But then we see how far we've come and realize it's the right thing to do.  We've changed.  Our house has changed.  Our tastes have changed.  It's time to let go.

So now when I hear the argument "But where would you put it?"  I have a suggestion..."Let go of one thing to make room for something better!"

Finally we are going to show you the fruits of a Renaissance Man "restoration" project.  The reason why I use quotes is that this first piece has not been restored to authenticity nor has it been re-purposed for something new.  It was a dry bar cabinet.  It is still a dry bar cabinet. But we have taken artistic license.  

Rest assured if we come across an authentic William and Mary highboy we would not take such liberties.  But we figured something that is most likely mid-century can be slightly altered.  

This is what it looked like when we got it.  And boy did we think it was hideous.  But there was something about it that captured RM's attention.  Probably it's relationship to alcohol.

The first step in the process was stripping off layers of oil-based paint.  Not a pleasant process that basically turned the paint to goo and made it stick to everything.  

Next was sanding....and more sanding...and more sanding...proceeding through the following levels of sandpaper grit: 80,100, 150, 220, 300, and finally 600.  And of course the detail of the doors and trim had to be done by hand.  It basically amounted to about 15 hours of sanding but it was finally prepped (even though this picture only shows it partially prepped).

The one thing we knew we weren't going to change was the black vinyl bar top that is visible when the cabinet is opened completely, so we had to choose a finish that complimented that. We chose a Minwax New Color stain in Classic Gray and applied three coats to get an almost painted look but still allow the grain to show through.  

The exterior has four to five coats of Minwax Lacquer to seal it and give it that shine.  

The interior was painted with three coats of Valspar Pure White and second-hand glass knobs from Restoration Hardware were used for the pulls.

The result is part French Provincial (per RM) and part Art Deco (per Wife), but completely awesome if we do say so ourselves. Makes this woman want to pour herself a martini.  And all I did was carry it down and up the steps. Which is actually quite a lot, in my opinion. 

The bar (and many vintage liquor bottles - but none actually containing liquor) will be at the show this Sunday!